Claire Watson Garcia is an award winning artist and best-selling author whose work has been included in numerous national juried shows and many individual collections.

She was educated at Smith College and University of California, Berkeley, where she received a BA with a Fine Arts major.  She received additional instruction at the California College of Arts and Crafts and at the Hanover Center, Dartmouth College.

Claire has been an instructor at Silvermine School of Art in New Canaan, CT where her specialized workshops and courses for adults have been popular for over 20 years.  Her best-selling book, 'Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner', is based on one of those courses.  A second book, 'Painting for the Absolute and Utter Beginner', is due out in August '09.

Her lifelong love of art and animals has found its most recent expression in fine art animal portraiture.  She has illustrated three childrens' books featuring animals, two of which were also authored by her.  All three were published by Kid's Can Press, Toronto, Canada.